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tag3
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
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bballjunkee212
Joined: 07 Nov 2004
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 Posted: 04/17/07 10:05 am ::: |
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I have made no bones about my belief that Courtney Paris was the best player in women's basketball this past season. However, in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder if she will ever win a NC. And to make my point, I am contrasting this season's Sooners to UT.
Say what you will about Candace Parker, UT won the NC because they were more than Parker. Arguably, it was Hornbuckle who was the glue that held the team together. But Shannon Bobbitt proved her worth down the stretch, as did Nicky Anosike. Spencer and Fuller had their moments as well. With the team performing at all five positions, Parker was able to relax and play her game.
But I submit that if UT had been relying on Parker-- if they had tried to climb on her back and let her carry them, or if the makeup of the team had been such that they were forced to ride their start-- then UT would have been gone before the championship. And we might be talking about Parker in the same vein as other great players who did much but missed the ultimate prize-- Alana Beard, Nicole Powell, Siemone Agustus, Jackie Stiles all spring to mind. And this would not be due to some shortcoming in Parker's game or her "atty-tude;" it would simply be the fact that one-dimensional teams rarely win the Championship.
Which brings me to OU and Courtney Paris. She had a supporting cast of six seniors and some really good underclassmen. And yet, despite Paris's 31/20 performance, OU was totally outplayed by an almost one-dimensional Ole Miss-- which UT blew away in the next round. So why was OU no match for Ole Miss, and Ole Miss no match for UT, and what does that say for Courtney Paris's prospects of a NC?
I think OU lost to Ole Miss for the two reasons that UT beat them: Guard speed and physicality. UT had quick guards; OU had some slug-footed spot-shooters. UT had some bangers-- Anosike, Fuller, Redding, who could keep other players off of Parker, and who could not be left undefended. OU had Rush, who was by no means an "enforcer;" Ashley Paris; and Thompson and, to a much lesser extent, Abi Olajuwon. Only Ashley had both the physicality and the offensive firepower to draw defenders off of Courtney. Rush has graduated; Thompson and Olajuwon need to develop their game.
So OU went down because it lacked team speed and strength. Unless OU gets that, I predict that in three years' time, we will be-- legitimately this time-- mentioning Parker in the same breath as Taurasi, and Paris in the same breath as Beard and Powell. IMHO.
_________________
~Bill
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comet_fan_97
Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 468
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: 04/17/07 10:47 am ::: |
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| bballjunkee212 wrote: |
I have made no bones about my belief that Courtney Paris was the best player in women's basketball this past season. However, in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder if she will ever win a NC. And to make my point, I am contrasting this season's Sooners to UT.
Say what you will about Candace Parker, UT won the NC because they were more than Parker. Arguably, it was Hornbuckle who was the glue that held the team together. But Shannon Bobbitt proved her worth down the stretch, as did Nicky Anosike. Spencer and Fuller had their moments as well. With the team performing at all five positions, Parker was able to relax and play her game.
But I submit that if UT had been relying on Parker-- if they had tried to climb on her back and let her carry them, or if the makeup of the team had been such that they were forced to ride their start-- then UT would have been gone before the championship. And we might be talking about Parker in the same vein as other great players who did much but missed the ultimate prize-- Alana Beard, Nicole Powell, Siemone Agustus, Jackie Stiles all spring to mind. And this would not be due to some shortcoming in Parker's game or her "atty-tude;" it would simply be the fact that one-dimensional teams rarely win the Championship.
Which brings me to OU and Courtney Paris. She had a supporting cast of six seniors and some really good underclassmen. And yet, despite Paris's 31/20 performance, OU was totally outplayed by an almost one-dimensional Ole Miss-- which UT blew away in the next round. So why was OU no match for Ole Miss, and Ole Miss no match for UT, and what does that say for Courtney Paris's prospects of a NC?
I think OU lost to Ole Miss for the two reasons that UT beat them: Guard speed and physicality. UT had quick guards; OU had some slug-footed spot-shooters. UT had some bangers-- Anosike, Fuller, Redding, who could keep other players off of Parker, and who could not be left undefended. OU had Rush, who was by no means an "enforcer;" Ashley Paris; and Thompson and, to a much lesser extent, Abi Olajuwon. Only Ashley had both the physicality and the offensive firepower to draw defenders off of Courtney. Rush has graduated; Thompson and Olajuwon need to develop their game.
So OU went down because it lacked team speed and strength. Unless OU gets that, I predict that in three years' time, we will be-- legitimately this time-- mentioning Parker in the same breath as Taurasi, and Paris in the same breath as Beard and Powell. IMHO. |
I second that! 
I'll also add that if Ole Miss wants to get back to where we did this year, we need some bangers. The guard play will be there, raw but there. The post play will be better, but not where it needs to be if we can't find some real bangers. We'll be a new look team, but no less competitive. Should be interesting.
_________________
"People may not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel."
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luvDhoops
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 8229
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| Posted: 04/17/07 11:06 am ::: |
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| bballjunkee212 wrote: |
I have made no bones about my belief that Courtney Paris was the best player in women's basketball this past season. However, in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder if she will ever win a NC. And to make my point, I am contrasting this season's Sooners to UT.
Say what you will about Candace Parker, UT won the NC because they were more than Parker. Arguably, it was Hornbuckle who was the glue that held the team together. But Shannon Bobbitt proved her worth down the stretch, as did Nicky Anosike. Spencer and Fuller had their moments as well. With the team performing at all five positions, Parker was able to relax and play her game.
But I submit that if UT had been relying on Parker-- if they had tried to climb on her back and let her carry them, or if the makeup of the team had been such that they were forced to ride their start-- then UT would have been gone before the championship. And we might be talking about Parker in the same vein as other great players who did much but missed the ultimate prize-- Alana Beard, Nicole Powell, Siemone Agustus, Jackie Stiles all spring to mind. And this would not be due to some shortcoming in Parker's game or her "atty-tude;" it would simply be the fact that one-dimensional teams rarely win the Championship.
Which brings me to OU and Courtney Paris. She had a supporting cast of six seniors and some really good underclassmen. And yet, despite Paris's 31/20 performance, OU was totally outplayed by an almost one-dimensional Ole Miss-- which UT blew away in the next round. So why was OU no match for Ole Miss, and Ole Miss no match for UT, and what does that say for Courtney Paris's prospects of a NC?
I think OU lost to Ole Miss for the two reasons that UT beat them: Guard speed and physicality. UT had quick guards; OU had some slug-footed spot-shooters. UT had some bangers-- Anosike, Fuller, Redding, who could keep other players off of Parker, and who could not be left undefended. OU had Rush, who was by no means an "enforcer;" Ashley Paris; and Thompson and, to a much lesser extent, Abi Olajuwon. Only Ashley had both the physicality and the offensive firepower to draw defenders off of Courtney. Rush has graduated; Thompson and Olajuwon need to develop their game.
So OU went down because it lacked team speed and strength. Unless OU gets that, I predict that in three years' time, we will be-- legitimately this time-- mentioning Parker in the same breath as Taurasi, and Paris in the same breath as Beard and Powell. IMHO. |
Just now understanding what people have been saying for a while now, huh. Maybe it's just been your total contempt for Parker that has clouded your vision so long.
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bballjunkee212
Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 1906
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| Posted: 04/17/07 11:28 am ::: |
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| luvDhoops wrote: |
| bballjunkee212 wrote: |
I have made no bones about my belief that Courtney Paris was the best player in women's basketball this past season. However, in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder if she will ever win a NC. And to make my point, I am contrasting this season's Sooners to UT.
Say what you will about Candace Parker, UT won the NC because they were more than Parker. Arguably, it was Hornbuckle who was the glue that held the team together. But Shannon Bobbitt proved her worth down the stretch, as did Nicky Anosike. Spencer and Fuller had their moments as well. With the team performing at all five positions, Parker was able to relax and play her game.
But I submit that if UT had been relying on Parker-- if they had tried to climb on her back and let her carry them, or if the makeup of the team had been such that they were forced to ride their start-- then UT would have been gone before the championship. And we might be talking about Parker in the same vein as other great players who did much but missed the ultimate prize-- Alana Beard, Nicole Powell, Siemone Agustus, Jackie Stiles all spring to mind. And this would not be due to some shortcoming in Parker's game or her "atty-tude;" it would simply be the fact that one-dimensional teams rarely win the Championship.
Which brings me to OU and Courtney Paris. She had a supporting cast of six seniors and some really good underclassmen. And yet, despite Paris's 31/20 performance, OU was totally outplayed by an almost one-dimensional Ole Miss-- which UT blew away in the next round. So why was OU no match for Ole Miss, and Ole Miss no match for UT, and what does that say for Courtney Paris's prospects of a NC?
I think OU lost to Ole Miss for the two reasons that UT beat them: Guard speed and physicality. UT had quick guards; OU had some slug-footed spot-shooters. UT had some bangers-- Anosike, Fuller, Redding, who could keep other players off of Parker, and who could not be left undefended. OU had Rush, who was by no means an "enforcer;" Ashley Paris; and Thompson and, to a much lesser extent, Abi Olajuwon. Only Ashley had both the physicality and the offensive firepower to draw defenders off of Courtney. Rush has graduated; Thompson and Olajuwon need to develop their game.
So OU went down because it lacked team speed and strength. Unless OU gets that, I predict that in three years' time, we will be-- legitimately this time-- mentioning Parker in the same breath as Taurasi, and Paris in the same breath as Beard and Powell. IMHO. |
Just now understanding what people have been saying for a while now, huh. Maybe it's just been your total contempt for Parker that has clouded your vision so long. |
I never had contempt for Parker-- and I thought as early as January that UT had what it took to win the NC-- I had contempt for the media that jammed her down our throats.
_________________
~Bill
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luvDhoops
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 8229
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| Posted: 04/17/07 11:32 am ::: |
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| bballjunkee212 wrote: |
| luvDhoops wrote: |
| bballjunkee212 wrote: |
I have made no bones about my belief that Courtney Paris was the best player in women's basketball this past season. However, in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder if she will ever win a NC. And to make my point, I am contrasting this season's Sooners to UT.
Say what you will about Candace Parker, UT won the NC because they were more than Parker. Arguably, it was Hornbuckle who was the glue that held the team together. But Shannon Bobbitt proved her worth down the stretch, as did Nicky Anosike. Spencer and Fuller had their moments as well. With the team performing at all five positions, Parker was able to relax and play her game.
But I submit that if UT had been relying on Parker-- if they had tried to climb on her back and let her carry them, or if the makeup of the team had been such that they were forced to ride their start-- then UT would have been gone before the championship. And we might be talking about Parker in the same vein as other great players who did much but missed the ultimate prize-- Alana Beard, Nicole Powell, Siemone Agustus, Jackie Stiles all spring to mind. And this would not be due to some shortcoming in Parker's game or her "atty-tude;" it would simply be the fact that one-dimensional teams rarely win the Championship.
Which brings me to OU and Courtney Paris. She had a supporting cast of six seniors and some really good underclassmen. And yet, despite Paris's 31/20 performance, OU was totally outplayed by an almost one-dimensional Ole Miss-- which UT blew away in the next round. So why was OU no match for Ole Miss, and Ole Miss no match for UT, and what does that say for Courtney Paris's prospects of a NC?
I think OU lost to Ole Miss for the two reasons that UT beat them: Guard speed and physicality. UT had quick guards; OU had some slug-footed spot-shooters. UT had some bangers-- Anosike, Fuller, Redding, who could keep other players off of Parker, and who could not be left undefended. OU had Rush, who was by no means an "enforcer;" Ashley Paris; and Thompson and, to a much lesser extent, Abi Olajuwon. Only Ashley had both the physicality and the offensive firepower to draw defenders off of Courtney. Rush has graduated; Thompson and Olajuwon need to develop their game.
So OU went down because it lacked team speed and strength. Unless OU gets that, I predict that in three years' time, we will be-- legitimately this time-- mentioning Parker in the same breath as Taurasi, and Paris in the same breath as Beard and Powell. IMHO. |
Just now understanding what people have been saying for a while now, huh. Maybe it's just been your total contempt for Parker that has clouded your vision so long. |
I never had contempt for Parker-- and I thought as early as January that UT had what it took to win the NC-- I had contempt for the media that jammed her down our throats. |
Yes, but you transformed those sentiments to the player herself.
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MadDog22
Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 120
Location: Mississippi
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mysticsfan07
Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Posts: 546
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| Posted: 04/17/07 7:08 pm ::: |
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| Its not secret that one of our (OU) biggest problems was team speed and athleticism. From what I have read, we have a very speedy PG coming in (I believe Danielle Robinson is her name) that should help some. Amanda Thompson is also extremely fast/athletic, I'm predicting she will be very much improved. I think the pieces are there, its just a matter of putting them together, and getting those young guards some experience.
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MadDog22
Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 120
Location: Mississippi
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| Posted: 04/17/07 9:15 pm ::: |
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| I picked Oklahoma as a Final Four team this year and I see no reason to change it for next year. Their coach is great and they definitely have inside talent. This is not a team for anyone to go to sleep on!
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